Voice of the Free Press: A fundamental problem

Jan. 4, 2013

The Vermont State Police accuses former VSP Sgt. Jim Deeghan of writing nearly 1,000 bogus traffic tickets over 12 years without begin detected.

The Free Press reports, "the 973 made-up tickets never were given to the alleged violator or sent to the Vermont Judicial Bureau, also known as the traffic bureau."

The accusations against Deeghan shows there is no reliable system in place for tracking traffic tickets issued by the state police.

No matter who is right or wrong, it's clear that someone is failing to do due diligence in the most basic exercises of accountability.

No one who on a regular basis reconciles tickets a trooper files with the state police and those sent on to the courts for resolution.

The traffic ticket fiasco is another example of the stunning lack of oversight within Vermont's law enforcement and judicial systems.

Without effective oversight, there is no way to ensure accountability.

Questions about tickets Deeghan wrote came to light as part of an investigation into time sheet fraud in which the former state police sergeant has been charged in connection with claiming pay for time he never worked.

An affidavit filed Monday by state police Detective Lt. Robert Cushing alleges Deeghan cheated taxpayers out of $139,332 over nearly four years through mid-July.

Deeghan resigned from the state police on July 10.

Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn says he's unsure how the traffic ticket issues could have gone undetected for so long.

That's something that should worry all Vermonters. When those in charge are unaware of the problem, they're in a poor position to protect Vermonters against fraud from within their own ranks — or the complete breakdown in accountability.

Gov. Shumlin has repeatedly said he believes the Deeghan case is an isolated incident, but how can he be sure? What assurances can the governor offer Vermonters that no one else is taking advantage of a system so lacking in accountability.

Commissioner Flynn — on the job for less than two years — has pledged to come up with a better way of keeping track of all traffic tickets issued by troopers.

The commissioner and the Shumlin administration must do better than that.

Allegations involving time cards and traffic tickets point to management falling short on the day-to-day details that add up to the foundation of effective government.

That's a fundamental issue for which Peter Shumlin bears ultimate responsibility as long as he is governor.

The solution is to bring a level of transparency to law enforcement and the judiciary so that Vermonters themselves have the ability to keep a watch of how people in government are doing, or failing to do, their job.

But before transparency, how about a check-up into the operations of the state police work force?